The Beast's Possession
158: To leave or stay?

**Aife pov**

Shivers ran through my entire body. Looking at her, I could see nothing but pain in Kala's expression.

While I wasn't sure what was the story about her father, I would dislike her mother too, so it was clear she held dislike for her parents, yet still had some love for them.

That was the sad truth about families - no matter how bad they were, how much family members might have abused one, the person always had some sort of love for them because of the family bond they shared.

After all, there were good times before the abuse happened too. All of these thoughts made me think about her journey more. Kala wasn't too generous with the details, but I learned enough so far.

Sucking in a deep breath, I admitted the very fact I would rather have held a secret, "honestly, I don't know. Whatever happens, it's all up to you. I know Zion, he's already crazy about you, but if you were to leave, he wouldn't keep you here against your will. It's not his nature. He's too good to do that."

Kala nodded and focused her gaze in the distance, "that's the issue. If I were to choose to leave, if I were to do something, it's all about me and nothing about him. How is that fair? It's not." She whispered.

"Yeah," I agreed. "It's not fair to him, but keep in mind we're talking about Zion. While you don't know him, hell, even I don't know him for long, we both still know he will forget his needs and wants when it comes to you. Sounds crazy, but that's how it is."

Kala pondered my words for a little and didn't offer any opinion. Instead, she turned the whole conversation into questioning. "What do you think.. What should I do now? What would be the best choice in this situation? To leave or stay?"

I had to bite my lip to stay silent and actually think about her question. I wasn't the one who had to make this decision, so it felt a little unfair that she was forcing this onto me, but at the same time, I understood why she did it. Maybe it was more of a gender thing, but she sure did seem to trust me more than any men around us. I honestly believed that she wanted my opinion because I didn't let men walk all over me.

Ha, if only she had seen me when I was first brought here, she would see the true definition of pathetic and sad. Then, Kala would have the chance to watch how people changed with time passing and how some of us could grow.

For me, the growth happened unexpectedly. It was mainly brought to me by Bane, the very man who made my life a living hell. In my situation, he broke me first and then put me back together, piece by piece. "You're sure taking your time thinking about this," Kala muttered, pulling me back to reality.

Chuckling, I agreed with her. "Yeah, I was thinking about something. A sudden assault of memories, let's call it that.”

"I have those. Pretty often. But mine happen when I sleep, they come in the form of nightmares and for the most part, I don't realize just how bone chilling they are until I wake up, drenched in sweat and my heart is trying to escape my body." She whispered.

Listening to her, suddenly, I had an idea. What if I asked her if.. "Did you have those nightmares recently? Oh, to hell, I can't put this in as I want to unless I add the facts. Pardon my bluntness, but I want to know if you had them while Zion was sleeping next to you?"

Kala's head snapped in my direction and her eyes grew wide as if only now, she was hit with the weight of the realization. "No," she muttered. "Now that I think of it, no, I didn't have any nightmares. That was the best rest I've experienced in my entire life. I had never slept so peacefully as I slept in his arms."

As the tears started filling her eyes, I was pretty sure she had made her decision without overthinking it.

Just to ensure she knew that too, I moved a little closer and whispered, "the Goddess has her ways with us. She knows what she is doping and there has to be a reason why she chose Zion for you. Don't try to turn this around, it was you who needed him and she gave you the very person you needed the most. Don't fight it."

"But how? Tell me how. How could you forgive your man for what he did to you? How did you let that go and manage to forget?" Kala sobbed, wiping the tears off her cheeks.

Shaking my head, I raised my hands. "I never said I forgot. That's something no one could forget. Ever. But I did forgive because everyone makes mistakes. With Bane, it's different. He's a complicated case, more complex and messed up than any man I have met in my entire lifetime. Ever since we started this thing between us, I knew it would be hard. I knew we would face challenges and he could lose his cool any moment, but I still went for it. Feelings, love and emotions make us do the stupidest things."

She didn't stop crying. Even when a smile spread across her lips, Kala still cried. I had a feeling these tears weren't caused by this conversation - this was the pain and suffering she had been trying to hide from others, finally spilling over her imaginary cup.

Just as I opened my mouth, set on calming her down, we were startled by a loud, threatening growl coming from the main building.

I spun on my heel to see Zion, red in the face, seething in anger, walking towards us like a man on a mission. "Aife, I swear, I love you like a sister and adore you as the pack's Luna, but if you hurt my Kala, there will be consequences. Bane can kill me for all I care, no one is allowed to make my mate cry!" He growled.

As threatening as he looked, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to laugh at his reaction or take it seriously. Before I could react, Kala jumped in front of me and hissed at Zion, stopping him in his tracks.

"She did nothing wrong!" Kala snarled. She was full of surprises, but what she did next truly left me speechless. Kala raised her hand and pointed a finger at Zion, and then, at the ground, "down, mate!" She ordered. I watched both amused and terrified. Did this woman just order a Beta wolf to sit down like some trained dog?

"Babe, why?" Zion whined like a kid, his eyes darting to me, seeking help.

Now, this was something I was willing to watch and enjoy. First, he threatened me and now he needs my help? Ha, good luck dealing with the spicy kitty.

With a wide grin across my lips, I shook my head, letting him know there would be no help from me. Zion faked being shocked, but the next time Kala hissed, he did as she told him. He plopped down on the ground. "There, happy?" Zion hissed, looking away from us.

Truth to be told, I was completely speechless. I didn't expect he would actually sit down like that, without any arguments.

"Yes, I am," Kala announced.

As soon as he realized that he had made his mate happy, Zion's face almost split in half with the smile that spread across his lips. Just to make the moment more meaningful, instead of focusing on the negatives of this situation, Zion found his ray of sunshine and beamed as he spoke, "you called me mate."